Cosmic radiation could significantly limit manned missions to Mars to just four years
An international group of specialists calculated and found that a manned flight to Mars with a crew must last no more than four years back and forth, so as not to cause irreparable harm to the health of astronauts due to prolonged exposure to space radiation.
Manned mission to Mars and its apparent problems
The development of the first manned spacecraft flight with a crew to Mars is one of the most difficult and ambitious tasks. After all, literally every little thing on such a long flight can be critical.
Therefore, along with such important parameters as the preferred engine type, the exact number astronauts, type of food and much more, it is also extremely important to consider the constant danger of radiation radiation.
After all, as soon as the ship with the crew is outside the protective shell of the Earth's atmosphere and its magnetic field, astronauts will find themselves at the mercy of cosmic radiation emanating from the Sun, as well as cosmic radiation.
Therefore, the question of how to minimize the effect of this radiation on the body is very important.
According to the latest international study, in which scientists from Skolkovo also took part, the main protective factors are the time and the material of protection.
An important point is that the cosmic radiation itself is not constant. And its change depends on the activity of the Sun, which, as scientists have found, has a cycle in activity equal to 11 years. So during this time, the activity initially increases and then decreases.
Types of radiation and methods of protection against it
So there are two main types of radiation:
1. The first comes from the Sun, which emits energy particles (SEP) and is considered softer, as it is lighter and has a lower energy.
2. The second is the so-called Galactic cosmic rays (GCR), which reach our solar system from distant supernovae, black holes, quasars, etc. and are high in energy.
So GCRs are predominantly composed of heavy particles that fly with a speed and energy that are so far unattainable in the most advanced and powerful accelerators built on Earth.
It is they who are the most dangerous for living cells and are capable of causing significant harm over time. The relatively good news is that the Sun is quite reliable during the most active periods. shield from the GCR, which means that it is during this period that space travelers will be exposed only to soft solar radiation.
So, as a result of the calculations done, scientists have established that the safest time interval will be 2 years, which can be extended to 4 years.
There are a lot of options for protection against "soft" radiation, ranging from heavy plates to special containers with water. The problem lies in the fact that the most reliable screen in all cases is massive enough, and this is a real problem for modern spacecraft.
But if such a shield is bombarded by a GCR, then it itself turns into a source of secondary radiation, since ultra-high-speed and heavy cosmic rays literally break the atoms in the screen.
So scientists have yet to determine this delicate balance between the protection of the crew and the real technological capabilities. In this case, the entire flight will have to keep within a safe interval of 4 years, when the GCR is minimal.
The scientists shared the results of the work done on the pages of the Space Weather magazine.
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